Recycling

A patent-pending ‘Fibre Shredder’ from a University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) faculty can recyle used textiles back into fibre in a minute-and-a-half.

Researchers at the University of Delaware may have found a fix for textile waste by recycling multifibre textiles, additives, or colourants wherein the recovered components could be integrated directly into the textile and clothing manufacturing value chain for textile-to-textile recycling.

A €7 million project, BioFibreLoop, kicked off in Germany, will use laser technology to imitate natural structures in order to produce garments with water and oil-repellent, self-cleaning and antibacterial properties — basically develop recyclable outdoor and work clothing made from renewable bio-based materials.

Indonesia is looking to reverse the environmental impact of textile waste, introduce the potential of circular textiles, create green jobs, and organise training programmes.

There is feasibility and value in engaging in circular, textile-to-textile recycling systems for cotton, as also benefits for all involved stakeholders, affirms Accelerating Circularity's much-anticipated Global Cotton Report.

A consortium of 24 partners will work on a holistic approach towards sustainable growth in the EU textiles sector by raising customer awareness, enhancing recycling, ensuring feedstock traceability using the Digital Product Passport, and providing data and guidelines to decision-makers.

With several pieces of incoming legislation within the EU alone, the need for a cohesive and harmonised approach is essential to the successful implementation of policy within the textiles industry, concludes the New Cotton Project.

There is significant room for improvement in separate collection systems for waste textiles in EU-27 with about 11.6kg per person of textile waste ending up in mixed household waste.

There’s ample room for improvement in augmenting the recovery of non-rewearable textiles in the US what with 56% of the textiles generated as waste suitable for fibre-to-fibre recycling, claims a new report.

A paper by Zero Waste Europe has emphasised the urgent need to phase out hazardous chemicals and tackle the release of microplastics, outlining a vision where textile recycling is not just a niche activity but a cornerstone of the industry.